Page 126 of Something Like Winter

that he had plenty of conversation partners when Marcello wasn’t

available. He tried hanging out with Ryan and his new crew, but they

were all so young and wired that Tim really did feel fifty. Ryan had

forged a fast friendship with a guy named Stephen, who—aside from

having short hair and a slightly broader build—could have been Ryan’s

twin.

Tim wandered around the party, constantly deflecting questions

about his post-college life. Eventually he grew tired of making excuses

for himself and dragged Ryan out of the party and back to the car. “So how long have you known him?” Ryan asked on the ride home. “Marcello? Years now. Ever since my sophomore year in college.” “Oh, so you have a sugar daddy too?”

Tim nearly hit the brakes. “No, and what do you meantoo?Marcello

isn’t my sugar daddy, and I’m definitely not yours! Got it?” “Don’t freak out. It was just a joke.”

“It didn’t sound like one.”

Ryan made a face, like Tim was being over-sensitive. “So where do

you get your money, then? You never work.”

“I told you about Eric already.”

“Oh, that’s right.Hewas your—”

Now Tim really did hit the brakes, shocking Ryan into silence.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with you?” Ryan shot back. “Jesus Christ, lighten up

already.”

Tim reined in his anger. “Eric was special to me. I don’t like jokes

about him.”

“You didn’t let me finish,” Ryan said. “You don’t know what I was

going to say.”

“Fine. Finish the sentence.”

“Hewas your sugar daddy.”

Ryan cackled in amusement while Tim stared at him in grim silence.

Then he took his foot off the brake and drove the rest of the way home,

refusing to look at Ryan until they were inside. When he did, he thought

Ryan’s pupils looked funny. Was that a trace of white powder on his